On Wednesday, June 18th, our director Thomas de Williencourt had the honor of speaking at an event organized by ODDO BHF Private Bank, an evening marked by commitment, generosity, courage — and above all, humanity.

“Choose your cause, but commit to it” — this was more than a call to action. It was an invitation to listen, connect, and be inspired.

What we experienced that evening deeply resonated: contagious energy, strong convictions, powerful personal stories, and sincere, tangible commitments filled with hope.

It was a privilege to speak alongside these remarkable individuals:

👉 Samantha Davies, sailor and tireless ambassador for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, who turns every race into a rescue mission for children around the world. A commitment that spans oceans — and touches hearts.

👉 Lana Rudzinski, who at just 18 founded Unissons les cœurs, an organization fighting the loneliness of hospitalized teenagers. A moving testimony of early and determined commitment.

👉 Jean-Yves Tolot, president of L’Œuvre d’Orient, whose work supporting education, health, and culture in vulnerable regions commands admiration.

👉 Jean-Louis Etienne, explorer with a free voice and inspiring humor, whose extraordinary journey encourages us all to push further.

👉 Thomas de Williencourt, our director, who presented our mission and three of the projects we support: ALT-Waste, Floating Reef, and Regen Ocean Farms.

🙏 A heartfelt thank you and congratulations to Emmanuel d’Orsay for his dynamic moderation, which gave the evening its rhythm, tone, and spirit.
Thank you to Philippe Oddo for his personal and sincere testimony about the Group’s philanthropic commitments — and those carried by himself and his family.
Thank you to Professor Olivier de Ladoucette, psychiatrist and President of the Alzheimer Research Foundation, who reminded us that altruistic happiness is also a source of health.
👏 And a huge thank you to the ODDO BHF Private Bank team, especially Audrey Blanch, for organizing this memorable evening.

It was a night marked by the strength of commitments, the power of personal stories, and a breath of hope.

The ocean has suddenly appeared on the public agenda in recent days. At long last!

But how long will it remain visible? How long before it again becomes the forgotten item on our political, economic and media agendas?

And yet the study by Utopies, published this week in Le Monde, makes no bones about it:

‘The ocean is still largely absent from corporate strategies, even though 40% of jobs in France depend on the marine environment’.

The figure is staggering.

⛔ To see the ocean as a “secondary” issue is to ignore the extent to which it underpins our value chains, even far from the coasts.

⛔ If we fail to measure our impact on marine environments, we are unwittingly contributing to their degradation.

👉 The time is right. Awareness must not be allowed to fade with the end of a summit. But how?

A simple starting point: today, less than 3% of the world’s research budgets are devoted to the oceans.

Even though it covers more than 70% of our planet, regulates our climate, absorbs carbon, generates oxygen and feeds billions of people. This imbalance speaks volumes. It reflects the invisibility of the ocean in our collective priorities – economic, political, scientific. We protect poorly what we understand little. And we understand little about what we neglect to look at.

Given this situation, there is one thing we can do: support research.

Funding science means strengthening our collective resilience and combating misinformation, by favouring knowledge, transparency and proof over approximations and slogans.

At Pure Ocean, this is our commitment.

To support science, to make the link between knowledge and action, and to involve the economic players in this dynamic. Because protecting the ocean starts with understanding it.

So, will you let the ocean be forgotten again?

➡️ Support the ocean, support research: https://www.pure-ocean.org/soutenez-nous/

At Pure Ocean, we’ve always been convinced that athletes are excellent vehicles for commitment.

In contact with the ocean on a daily basis, they are the first witnesses of its degradation – and their word, followed and listened to, can change things!

At the UNOC – United Nations Ocean Conference, the Climate Sport Camp athletes launched a remarkable initiative: ‘Athletes for Science’.

Its aim? To create concrete links between top-level sport and scientific research, to better understand and protect the ocean, climate and biodiversity.

This programme already brings together 50 renowned athletes, determined to team up with the living world.

🙌 Among this amazing team? Our ambassador Ainhoa Leiceaga, of whom we are extremely proud! A champion surfer and scientist herself, she took the floor to share her commitment and experience at the launch. It was an exceptional opportunity, and one that was full of meaning and authenticity!

The project is supported by public institutions, in particular the Ministry of Sport, represented on site by Marie Barsacq, Minister for Sport, Youth and the Voluntary Sector. A number of leading figures from the world of sport and science were also present to bear witness to the strength of this collective dynamic: Anne Dos Santos (FFVoile), Flora Artzner, Arthur Le Vaillant, Armelle Courtois, Pauline Johanet, Mathieu Navillod, Marie Chauchè, Jean-Baptiste Bosson, Serge Planes, Philippe Terral, and many others.

👏 Well done to the 50 athletes involved and to all those who have supported this initiative with such conviction!

On Monday evening, for our side event at #UNOC, the United Nations Ocean Conference, we were delighted to bring together our precious ecosystem for a unique evening on the Beau Rivage beach in Nice.

🤝 Passionate patrons,

🔬 Scientific project leaders,

💙 Pure Ocean Lovers always on hand…

A high point to celebrate innovation, encounters and transmission together, the pillars of our action at Pure Ocean.

These moments of exchange are essential: they fuel our energy, strengthen our convictions and remind us why we are committed to the Ocean every day.

Thank you all for your presence, your support and your infectious enthusiasm.

Your energy has reinvigorated us so that we can continue to make the voice of science ring out loud and clear for a truly protected ocean.